deal like a man laughin' and clappin' his hands to see his house
burn down"

And I sez, "it wuz far wurse, for his home wouldn't stand more'n a
100 years or so, and this home he wuz a tryin' to destroy, wuz one
that would last through eternity." "But," says I, "it hain't
built by hands, and I guess their hands hain't strong enough to
tear it down, nor high enough to set fire to it."

And the Deacon says, "Jest so, Miss Allen, you spoke truthfully,
and eloquent." (The Deacon is very smart.)

When we got into the buggy to start, the Deacon says, "I would
like to resoom the conversation with you, Josiah Allen's wife, a
goin' back."

And Druzilla spoke right out and says, "I will set on the front
seat by Ezra." I says, "Oh no, Druzilla, I can hear the Deacon
from where I sot before."

But the Deacon says, Talkin' loud towards night always offected
his voice onpleasantly, mebby Druzilla and he had better change
seats.

Again I demurred. And then Druzilla said she must set by Ezra,
she wanted to tell him sumthin' in confidence.

And so it wuz arraigned, for I felt that I wuz not the one to
come between pardners, no indeed. The road laid peacefuller and
beautifuller than ever, or so it seemed under the sunset glory